Schallhorn Rachel A RA Department of Periodontics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, - - 2010

Interleukin (IL)-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine that is present in chronically inflamed tissues; IL-18 was positively associated with periodontitis and coronary artery disease (CAD). CXC ligand (CXCL) 16, a recently discovered chemokine, was identified in atherosclerotic lesions; its role in periodontal disease is largely unknown. This research study correlates periodontal ...

Early repolarization, indicated on the standard 12-lead ECG, has recently been associated with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation in patients without structural heart disease. It is unknown whether there is an association between early repolarization and ventricular arrhythmias in the coronary artery disease (CAD) population. Patients with CAD with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in ...

The quantification of coronary calcification has established itself as a valid risk marker to predict cardiovascular events. However, data derived from cardiac multi-detector row computed tomography could demonstrate that the exclusion of coronary calcification is not synonymous with the exclusion of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aims of this retrospective ...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Aortic valve calcification (AVC), which has been confirmed to be associated with various risk factors of cardiac disease, is common in the elderly and associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. It has been hypothesized that AVC is associated with coronary atherosclerotic disease, and its severity. ...

Associations between coronary artery disease (CAD) and outcomes in systolic heart failure (HF) and that between coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and outcomes in patients with HF and CAD have not been examined using propensity-matched designs. Of the 2707 patients with advanced chronic systolic HF in the Beta-Blocker Evaluation ...

The electrocardiographic diagnosis of significant coronary artery stenosis (CAD) is often based on the investigation of the left ventricular repolarization changes during exercise ECG stress test (EST). Our aim was to prove that the electric activity of the left atrium can indicate the ischemic damage of the left ventricle, and ...

In vitro studies attribute antiatherogenic and insulin-like properties to zinc (Zn). However, only a few conflicting clinical data exist concerning the relationship between Zn and coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as glycemic indices. We studied 72 patients without prior history of myocardial infarction or revascularization procedures, who underwent coronary ...

AIMS: This study tested the hypothesis that the addition of full-dose atorvastatin (80 mg/day) to conventional medical treatment could reduce ischaemic recurrences after non-ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTE-AMI) in patients with severe and diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) not amenable to any form of mechanical revascularisation. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ...

Fibroblasts, the majority of non-cardiomyocytes in the heart, are known to release several kinds of substances such as cytokines and hormones that affect cell and tissue functions. We hypothesized that undefined substance (s) derived from cardiac fibroblasts may have the potential to protect against ischemic myocardium. To assess our hypothesis, ...

The aim of this study was to define the prevalence and significance of myocardial edema in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Most patients with NSTE-ACS undergo angiography, yet not all have obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) requiring revascularization. Identifying patients with myocardium at risk could enhance the ...

The relationships between single (SLI) and multiple lacunar infarcts (MLI) and occult coronary artery disease (CAD) have not yet been sufficiently evaluated. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of silent CAD in patients with SLI, MLI and large vessel disease (LVD) stroke, and to identify factors associated with its presence. ...

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) produced by cardiovascular system raising the possibility that alterations of OPG serum levels may be associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Our aim is to assess the possible role of serum OPG and soluble tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (s-TRAIL) in the pathology of CAD and their uses ...

BACKGROUND: Consumption of fish and n-3 (omega-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) has been associated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the relation between dietary intake of n-3 LCPUFAs or fish and risk of future coronary events or mortality in patients ...

Multidetector CT coronary angiography (MDCTCA) is capable of detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) with a high diagnostic accuracy. In particular, this technique is credited with having a negative predictive value close to 100%. However, data about the prognostic value of MDCTCA are currently lacking. We sought to determine the prognostic ...

There appears to be an association of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) with coronary artery disease (CAD) and its risk factors. EAT is assumed to influence CAD development by altering vasomotor tone and via toxic paracrine effects. The relationship of EAT to myocardial perfusion has not been studied. Quantification of EAT ...

BACKGROUND: The purposes of the study were to determine the effects of addition of perindopril to long-term continuous treatment with calcium-channel blocker (CCB) on cardiac outcomes in the stable coronary artery disease (CAD) population of EUROPA and to explore the presence of synergy between perindopril and CCB in secondary prevention. ...

Respiratory maneuvers can uncover manifestations of myocardial ischemia. Some pulse wave characteristics are associated with significant coronary artery disease (S-CAD). An innovative test using the respiratory stress response (RSR) has been developed for the detection of S-CAD based on spectral analysis of finger pulse wave oscillations measured using photoplethysmography (PPG) ...

Ischemic heart diseases (IHD) are important causes of death in the Vale do Paraíba paulista. To identify patterns of spatial distribution of hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and IHD in the Vale do Paraíba paulista. This was an ecological study using exploratory spatial analysis of hospitalization data for acute ...

The spectrum of cardiac side-effects of cancer chemotherapy has expanded with the development of combination, adjuvant and targeted chemotherapies. Their administration in multiple regimens has increased greatly, including in older patients and in patients with cardiovascular and/or coronary artery disease (CAD). Cardiac toxicity of anthracyclines involves oxidative stress and apoptosis. ...

BACKGROUND: We assessed the results of a noninvasive therapeutic strategy on the long-term occurrence of cardiac events and death in a registry of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We analyzed 519 patients with CKD (56+/-9 years, 67% men, 67% whites) on maintenance hemodialysis ...

Attenuation corrected myocardial perfusion SPECT (AC-MPS) has been demonstrated to improve the specificity of detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) by visual analysis which utilizes both non-corrected (NC) and AC data. However, the combined automated quantification of NC and AC-MPS has not been previously described. We aimed to develop a combined ...

Anger is associated with cardiovascular stress reactivity; however, little is known about the effect of suppressed anger in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We examined whether patients with CAD who suppress their anger are at risk of adverse events. At baseline, 644 patients with CAD completed measures of anger, ...

A substantial number of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have polyvascular disease (PolyVD), defined as cerebrovascular disease (CVD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or both. To investigate the impact of PolyVD on baseline characteristics, management and outcomes. The Alliance project is a multicentre, cross-sectional database of patients with myocardial infarction ...

There is a wide variation in reported accuracy ofnoninvasive stress myocardial imaging as a screening tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). This study was undertaken to determine its current accuracy in a wide spectrum of patients with chest pain syndromes using invasive coronary angiography as the gold standard. The patient ...

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the single leading cause of death in the U.S. Therapies for CAD have been developed to inhibit platelet aggregation underlying atherogenesis. Clinical benefit has been shown with antagonists of the P2Y(12) receptor, such as clopidogrel. However, concerns over patient resistance to treatment and relatively slow ...

BACKGROUND: The whole body periodic acceleration (WBPA) system has recently been developed as a "passive exercise" device by providing increased pulsatile shear stress for improvement of endothelial function. This study aimed to investigate the short-term effect of WBPA on coronary flow reserve (CFR) through transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE) in healthy ...

BACKGROUND: A high diagnostic performance of coronary computed tomographic angiography (CTA) in identifying coronary artery disease (CAD) has been shown in experienced high-volume centers. Whether this may be accomplished in centers with less CTA experience remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: We determined the diagnostic performance and interobserver reproducibility of CTA in detecting ...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the prognostic and incremental value of coronary artery disease (CAD) severity, coronary atherosclerosis, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured with cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). BACKGROUND: CTA is an emerging tool used for the detection of obstructive CAD. However, there are limited data supporting ...

Moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia is considered as an independent risk marker for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Earlier, increased homocysteine production was detected in stimulated immunocompetent cells in vitro, and several markers of inflammation like neopterin or C-reactive protein (CRP) were demonstrated as significant indicators of cardiovascular risk. The relationship between coronary artery ...

Coronary atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, but different inflammatory biomarkers may reflect different phases of atherosclerotic plaque evolution. We aimed at assessing the role of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), a sensitive marker of eosinophil activation, and C-reactive protein (CRP) in coronary artery disease (CAD). Consecutive anginal patients with angiographic ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) risk score with extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study among 200 consecutive patients admitted with ACS at Tabba Heart Institute, Karachi from June to December 2008. ...

This review addresses the importance of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) studies in understanding the role of acute and chronic psychological stressors on the immune system and development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Firstly, it illustrates how psychological stressors change endothelial function and lead to chemotaxis. Secondly, acute psychological stressors lead to leukocytosis, ...

Apelin and ghrelin have emerged as novel adipokines, but their role in coronary artery disease (CAD) remains obscure. In the present study, we analyzed their serum levels in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or established asymptomatic CAD. A total of 355 participants were enrolled. Among them were 80 patients ...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in modern industrialized countries with an aging population. This fact has fueled the need for innovative diagnostic testing intended to improve coronary artery disease (CAD) patient care. Detection of myocardial ischemia using myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) plays an important role for CAD ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) and to define determinants of CAD in patients with or without metabolic syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was approved by the local ethics committee; informed consent was obtained. Twenty-nine subjects (mean age, 53 ...

By virtue of the functional role of the mitochondrion in energy and reactive oxygen species production, mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are potential candidates for cardiovascular-related disorders. Further, the mtDNA is extremely polymorphic and several diagnostic single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been used to assort sequences into haplogroups with defined continental and ...

Breast arterial calcium (BAC) has been suggested as a marker and predictor of cardiovascular risk and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, an association between BAC and these cardiovascular end points has not been fully elucidated in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Consecutive patients undergoing mammography and cardiac catheterization within a 36-month ...

Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is a relatively simple myocardial perfusion imaging technique which should be used in different clinical settings. The ability of MCE to provide a comprehensive assessment of cardiac structure, function, and perfusion is likely to make it the technique of choice for non-invasive cardiac imaging.Contrast agents are ...

BACKGROUND: Normal stress myocardial perfusion images (MPI) generally show good prognosis for cardiovascular events. However, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the important risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interpretation of normal stress MPI has not been well established in CKD patients with no evidence of ...